The present invention pertains to the telephone equipment art and, more particularly, to a telephone control system which allows subscribers to control how their telephone calls are handled in a completely new manner. Among other things, the present invention permits a subscriber to have a schedule and/or a timer incorporated into the telephone system so that incoming telephone calls for the subscriber are directed to particular destinations as a function of the schedule and/or the timer. The destinations may be particular telephone stations or they may be another telephone system resource, such as a voice mail system.
Thus, the present invention allows a subscriber to have a programmed schedule which directs incoming telephone calls to their car phone during the time they usually commute to work, for example. The schedule would thereafter automatically shift incoming calls to their work phone (or to an office receptionist or an automated attendant) during normal work hours. On the way home the schedule can be arranged to again direct incoming calls to the subscriber's car phone. The schedule could be set up to direct incoming calls to the subscriber's home telephone number (if they so desire) after the time the subscriber normally arrives at home. At some point of time they may want to have the schedule direct incoming calls to voice mail or perhaps to screen them.
The present invention also allows a subscriber to have a programmable timer which directs incoming telephone calls to some other destination for a user-controlled period of time.
As a result, the subscriber has more control over the reception of incoming telephone calls which might otherwise be missed had they been handled in the manner commonly done in the past.